St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-05
TAKING INA GAMBLER.
A Man from the BOWery Tries His
Rsand at Roulette in Panama.


Panama Letter to New York Sun.
Ever since the beginning of the canal
work on the sthmns hundreds of gamblers
and thieves have been Hooking to the city
from all parts of the world. There is no
end of money here in the hands of the
canal contractors and employees. and every
kind of gambling is carried on by the sharp
ers to relieve them of it. The lottery here,
whose drawing is every Sunday, has made
one of the pr0prietorS, an old Panama rail-
road man rich. He is getting his money
together and is going back to the United
States to live. An old New York gambler
who used TO frequent the st. James hotel
bar-roon great deal, says he is playing
the chance of dying of the Chagres fever
against 500, 900. If he lives only six
months, he SAYS, he will be back in New
York with the Doodle. He adds that when
a man is over so he can afford to take this
kind of chances. lie came here to die or
make his play. and he is getting in his
work with rapdity He looks like Will
ner.
There is always something new coming
off, for many of the gamblers, especially
those from London and New York, are
very Ely" The other day the steamer
from New York brought down a "slire
thing man." who. for some time past, has
been working the passengers on the
English steamer lines. Too much Bowery
dissipation had got him on the sick list. and
he was on his way to San Francisco for his
health. He was here just two hours.
One of them he spent in looking
at the old town and feeding the
pelicans and gulls in the bay with
biscuits soaked in cognac. He then
a1 mt, fh., ,,ll i,,r ball ha
plaza, and watched the Frenclmen's reck
less play at roulette. The game was in
full blast, and the layout covered with
piles of gold. Everyone was drinking
champagne, and for confusion and riot the
red letter days OF Homburg were not
marker to it. The eareworn Bowery man
edged up TO the table and with trembling
hand rolled up United States bank bill to
about the size of walnut and threw it on
the red. The wheel was started on its
noiseless circuit and the little ivory ball rat
tied around in the opposite direction until
it finally settled in the black. The Bower
man picked the bill up and carelessly tossed
it to the dealer, who unfolded it and saw it
was $50 bill. The dealer smiled slightly
while the BoWery man fumbled in his
pocket for more money. He drew another
bill from an inside pocket crumpled it into
d Ddll Ike Tie Ollt, anu uTOppeu III OH tH6
red. The ivory ball went hopping around
again, and this time it stopped in red
pocket. The Bowery man did not
move this time. and when the dealer
unfolded the bill to see how much
he had to pay. he found that it was one
Of the 1000 denomination. He looked
aghast, but there was nothing for it but to
pay and look pleasant He counted the
money out which the BoWery pocketed as
he took his leave Fifteen minutes later
the lucky New Yorker was on the tug, go
ing to the steamer out in the bay. He
told fellow passenger how lie had beaten
the Panama dealer. The first bill laid
down was also $1,000 bill, but when he
saw he had lost he picked it up and tossed
$50 bill, which he had concealed in his
hand. to the dealer, and slipped the $1,000
one up his sleeve. He said it took little
practice to do this trick, but it was about
as easy way to make $3.50 as he knew of.
and he was OH good terms with himself Tor
the next twenty-four hours.